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When I have done veneer in the past it was also doing hammer veneering with hot hide glue. Very easy to do, and totally reversible. A long time ago Rob showed me how to repair the thinner veneers, and it's not hard. Plenty on both online, and hammer veneering is the quickest way to get into veneering, and does NOT require expensive equipment to start with. IE: Pressure bags, pumps, yada yada... Some hot hide glue and a strong wooden squeegee get you going.
Veneer hammers, usually under $100.00 most around $59.00 You can however roll your own, similar to making a mallet just a thinner edge. Instead of pounding, you do more of a scraping action, pulling the veneer flat, so it can nest to the glue. Hide glue is what you make it, but 90+% of the folks I know starting out used a Fondue pot they picked up at an auction for 5 bux or less, and a sack of hot hide glue pellets. Here Joel offers a quick primer on glue uses, for different kinds of work. That is maybe the hardest thing, is knowing which glue is best for what work.
Beyond that I totally agree with Dave. Pick up a few sampler packs, and a few sheets of MDF, cut the MDF into workable pieces, and go nutz. From what I have experienced, and observed in others, trying to start out doing a boardroom sized tabletop is a recipe for disaster. Instead learn on smallish box sides, little stuff that you can get cutting, and laying down to really manageable sizes, and build up from there. It ain't rocket science. back when it was often done by untrained, barely schooled folks who wanted something special. BUT it does require following some sensible steps to order the work, so you don't end up with a gloopy, sticky, wad.
Veneer hammers, usually under $100.00 most around $59.00 You can however roll your own, similar to making a mallet just a thinner edge. Instead of pounding, you do more of a scraping action, pulling the veneer flat, so it can nest to the glue. Hide glue is what you make it, but 90+% of the folks I know starting out used a Fondue pot they picked up at an auction for 5 bux or less, and a sack of hot hide glue pellets. Here Joel offers a quick primer on glue uses, for different kinds of work. That is maybe the hardest thing, is knowing which glue is best for what work.
Beyond that I totally agree with Dave. Pick up a few sampler packs, and a few sheets of MDF, cut the MDF into workable pieces, and go nutz. From what I have experienced, and observed in others, trying to start out doing a boardroom sized tabletop is a recipe for disaster. Instead learn on smallish box sides, little stuff that you can get cutting, and laying down to really manageable sizes, and build up from there. It ain't rocket science. back when it was often done by untrained, barely schooled folks who wanted something special. BUT it does require following some sensible steps to order the work, so you don't end up with a gloopy, sticky, wad.
